NPM of Tomato
- Deep Summer Ploughing
- Soil application of Trichoderma viride
- Pheromone traps for pest monitoring
- Prophylactic and Need based sprays of 5% Neem Seed Kernel Extract
- Spraying Mancozeb and Carbendazim for disease control
Optional
- Farm yard manure
- Vermicompost
- Poultry manure
- Tank silt application
- Bird perches
- Need based application of pesticides
NPM of brinjal
- Deep Summer Ploughing
- Destruction of plant stalks
- Prophylactic and Need based sprays of 5% Neem Seed Kernel Extract
- Removal and destruction of BFSB infested shoots
- Mass trapping of BFSB male moths by pheromones
- Application of Neem Cake at plant base for the control of root grub and stem borer.
Optional
- Green manure application
- Farm yard manure
- Vermicompost
- Poultry manure
- Tank silt application
- NSKE – 5%
- Neem oil
- Need based application of Malathion/Chlorpyriphos
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Vermiculture |
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Adding value- grinding dried neem seeds |
Ground dried neem seed for sale! |
Seed
Ideally in addition to the agricultural traits normally associated with the crop the seed should be pest and disease tolerant. The chose of seed will then depend on a wide range of factors and is not discussed further here, although possible options for use in Tamil Nadu are given in the IPM sections.
Seed treatment before sowing
Seed treatment with biopesticides minimises the impact on non-target organism and provides protection to the crop at its most vulnerable stage both form soil borne pests and sucking pests (jassids, whitefly). Some commercial seeds and hybrids in particular are sold pre-treated with pesticides and an indicator dye.
Formulations of Trichoderma viride and Pseudomonas fluorescens are commercially available in India. Both biopesticides are effective against a wide range of root and stem rots caused by Rhizoctona and Sclerotinia and damping off, Pythium. The biopesticides should be mixed at the rate of 4 g per kg of seed as a paste or slurry. Note that seed treatment will not protect the main crop against other fungal diseases and application with farm yard manure and subsequent foliar sprays may well be necessary if disease symptoms become apparent.
Soil preparation
Deep summer ploughing exposes soil pests which are then consumed by predatory birds (such as egrets) or killed by desiccation. Ploughing also helps to reduce weed populations, improves aeration and conserves moisture by increasing the porosity of the soil.
Border crops and trap crops
These crops are grown to either provide alternative (preferred) hosts for pests, as a food source to sustain populations of natural enemies or as a source of phytochemicals that are toxic to pests.
Castor (Ricinus communis) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) can be grown as border crops and are particularly attractive for Spodoptera litura, a polyphagous leaf feeder. African marigold Tagetes erecta, is particularly attractive to Helicoverpa armigera and produces nematostatic root exudates that are highly toxic to root knot nematodes such as Meloidogyne incognita in tomato. Jowar (Sorghum vulgare) and maize (Zea mays) have been found to attract green lace wings (Chrysoperla carnea), the larvae of which are voracious predators that eat up to 200 insect eggs a week and older larvae can eat up to 50 aphids a day.
Eggs laid on trap crops can then be destroyed either by spraying with insecticides, or better, virus formulations such as NPV (Nuclear polyhydrosis virus) for H. armigera. NPV should be sprayed in the evening because the virus is highly susceptible to UV radiation (sunlight) at 250 larval equivalents per ha mixed with 2% of jaggery (sugar) as a feeding stimulant for the larvae. Typically three applications are made at 28, 35 and 42 days after planting tomato.
Border crops should be planted at 250 plants per ha (100/acre). Marigold is usually planted as an intercrop every 16 rows of tomato for control of H. armigera, although a much higher density is required to control nematodes and application of water extracts is preferred to reduce competition between the trap and main crops. Planting times of trap crops are important to ensure that flowering occurs at the same time as the main crop. Thus, 50 day old marigold should be planted in 25 day old tomato to synchronise flowering in both crops.
Intercropping
Intercropping is beneficial both in terms of reducing pest incidence but also providing a succession of crops. Thus, short duration pulse crops such as green gram (Vigna radiata), blackgram (Vigna mungo), soya bean (Glycine max), cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and cowpea (Vigna unguivulata) give additional income and increase soil fertility. Intercrops reduce pest incidence by enabling predators such as ladybirds and lacewings to build up their populations by feeding on aphids and jassids supported by the intercrop.
Black gram in particular attracts whitefly away from the main crop, okra (ladies finger, bhindi, Abelmoschus esculentus) attracts cotton pests such as spotted bollworm, Earias vittella. Intercrops are typically sown every fifth row.
Farmers are encouraged to experiment with planting times and spacings between intercrops, border crops and main crops. Depending on the cropping season, main crop rotations and likely incidence of pest species optimised management systems will vary from location to location.
Bird perches
These can be fabricated from simple sticks or more elaborate structures but all serve the same purpose of providing insectivorous birds with a safe resting perch from which they can operate in safety to catch insects on the wing. Some proponents suggest as many as 25 T-shaped perches per ha and spreading cooked rice mixed with turmeric powder to attract and retain the birds. Perches are not necessary for crops such as brinjal which have a substantial structure on which birds can perch or tomato where farmers have created a support structure for the crop. Pheromone traps used for mass trapping L. orbonalis and H. armigera are also used by birds for perching.
Parasites and predators
By adopting a non-pesticide management strategy parasites and predators can be conserved in a crop and act to control the phytophagous insects. Nevertheless, there may be times when the phytophagous insects reproduce too rapidly to be kept in check by natural populations of parasitoids and predators under which conditions their populations can be augmented by introduced insects. Many species are produced commercially in India.
Trichogramma spp.
These are dispatched as Tricho-cards that contain eggs of a surrogate host infested with Trichogramma larvae. After some days adult wasps emerge from the eggs, mate and the females search for eggs of pest species such as H. armigera, E. insulana and S. litura to lay their eggs in. The timing and need for using Trichogramma can be judged by using pheromone traps to monitor adult populations, or apply at the time of flowering when H. armigera enters a crop. Several species of Trichogramma are mass produced in India. The choice of species will depend on the crop cultivated, thus T. chilonis is appropriate for use in vegetables while T. braseliensis is restricted for use in tomato and cotton and T. japonicum for sugarcane, rice and pulses. Tricho cards typically contain 20,000 parasitised eggs. Cards are placed out at a density of 3 to 5 cards per ha, 3 to 4 times at 10 to 15 day intervals.
Chrysopa carnea
Green lacewings, Chrysopa carnea, are normally sold as eggs provided with food, inert carrier and paper strips to avoid cannibalism by emerging larvae. Typically 5,000-10,000 eggs should be distributed per ha 3 to 4 times at 15 day intervals to correspond with the period when the crop is susceptible to egg laying and young stages of pests. C. carnea have particularly voracious appetites for aphids, mites, mealy bugs, whiteflies, thrips and young H. armigera larvae.
Biopesticides prepared on-farm
The most familiar prepared by farmers are:
- Neem seed kernel extract/suspension (NSKE 5%)
- Chilli-garlic extract
- Cattle dung and urine extract
Preparing of neem seed kernel extract/suspension
- Soak neem seed kernels (5 kg) in a minimum of water overnight
- Grind the neem seed kernels and keep the paste in a bag and soak for 2 hr. Fill container with water (10 litre) and place bag of neem seed kernel paste in the container for 30 min, stirring periodically.
- Squeeze the bag thoroughly, remove and filter the resulting white suspension ands add soap flakes (100 g) to the suspension.
- Dilute the suspension for use in a sprayer to spray (10 times, e.g. 500 ml in 5 litres) the crop
Notes
Collect only ripe fruit and separate the seed from the fruit before storing in gunny bags in a cool shaded, dry location. Do not store in airtight plastic bags. Large quantities of neem kernels should be treated with either china clay or sulphur (1 : 10 ratio).
Neem extracts should be sprayed at the flowering stage of a crop to prevent egg laying and disrupt young larvae feeding on foliage.
Preparation of chilli-garlic extract
- Grind green chillies (3 kg) after removing the stalk (pedicel) and then soak the resulting paste overnight in water (10 litres).
- Grind garlic (0.5 kg) and then soak overnight in petrol (kerosene, 250 ml).
- Dissolve soap (75 g) in water (1 litre) overnight.
- Mix all three solutions and stand for 4 hours then filter through a cloth and dilute with water (80 litres) and spray as needed (enough for 1 acre).
Notes
Deters female moths laying eggs of leaf feeding larvae (H. armigera and S. litura).
Preparation of cattle-dung and urine extract
- Dilute cattle dung (5 kg) into water (5 litres) and add cow urine (5 litres).
- Ferment the resulting solution for 4 days in an enclosed container and then add lime (100 g) to neutralise the toxic phenols and acids released.
- Dilute the resulting solution in water (80 litres) and spray (enough for 1 acre).
Notes
Deters female moths laying eggs of leaf feeding larvae (H. armigera and S. litura) and protects against some diseases. The solution also acts as a plant tonic.
Preparation of NPV
- Collect larvae from field that have died from NPV (400 H. armigera, or 200 S. litura). Seek advice from local NARS or trained NGO if unsure how to do this.
- Grind the larvae to a suspension and filter through fine cloth. Dilute in water (100 litres) and add Robin Blue dye (100 g) to protect from UV light in the field.
- Spray crop with the NPV solution during early evening.
Notes
The virus of one pest species does not affect other species. It may take several days (2 to 5) before the larvae in the field are killed by the spraying of virus. However, within 10 days all larvae will have become affected.
Vermicompost
Composts should be located in land that is not prone to waterlogging, avoid sandy soils, irrigation channels and areas near trees. Ideally the location should be shaded upland. Agricultural waste that can be easily decomposed should be selected, avoiding woody materials, plastics and other non-biodegradable materials.
This technique is very popular in India, in part because of the speed of decomposition but also because of the fine structure of the end product. Typically a 2 x 1 x 1 m pit is dug and the base lined with broken bricks and coarse sand (5 cm) to allow drainage and avoid waterlogging. Loamy soil is then added (10-20 cm) incorporating earthworms. The worms can either be collected from neighbouring composts or field collected. Ideally a 1,000 worms should be added and covered with cowdung and then covered with straw or leaves. The cowdung provides a nutrient base in which the worms can multiple before the vegetable matter is added. Vegetable waste is added twice weekly after one month until the bed is full and then left for a further 40-50 days (depending on temperature) ensuring that moisture levels remain high by covering with leaves or palm fronds. With experience larger semi-permanent structures can be built from concrete tanks if desired for ease of operation.